My first job out of grad school was at Paxton Gate, an oddities shop on trendy Valencia Street in the Mission District of San Francisco. Named after English gardener and architect, Sir Joseph Paxton, Paxton Gate sold a treasure trove of items from rare fossils and gems, to carnivorous plants, to exotic taxidermy. I worked primarily in their warehouse, which was in an old mortuary that also housed a bicycle shop, a kids store, and an art gallery. The rear of the building had ramps that were once used to roll gurneys up to the top of floors. It was a spooky job.
One of my main responsibilities was photographing incoming merchandise for what was then a fairly primitive eCommerce site. I handled everything from shooting and editing the photos to uploading them, writing the web copy, tagging, and SEO.. I also received and fulfilled the online orders, managing the entire eCommerce process from start to finish. It was a scrappy, hands-on job that required a lot of problem-solving. Over time, I got the hang of it, though there was definitely a learning curve.
It was a spooky job.
As far as animal photography goes, you cannot find a subject more patient and willing than a taxidermized beast. I photographed dozens of animals during my time there, in a pop-up photo cube against a painted wall underneath a storage rack. I had two light stands, a remote timer, and a real knack for trial and error.
I encountered an amazing array of animals during my time there—greater kudu, markhor, spotted hyena, and blue morpho butterflies to name a few. Although I got a few styes and skin infections along the way, I grew fond of them all. My favorite was a honey badger, perched proudly on a log with a snarled lip and a raised paw. I was heartbroken the day it sold.
Aside from taxidermy, Paxton Gate was known for its exotic plants, particularly its tillandsias, or “air plants.” We carried several varieties along with succulents, ferns, and carnivorous plants. Photographing tillandsias presented a challenge since they’re not planted; they lay directly on the backdrop, shot from above. But their unique shapes made them intriguing subjects. Some of my favorites, like the Tillandsia Butzii, were not only beautiful but also fun to say.
We also sold fossils and minerals. Bones older than the pyramids, crystals formed before humans roamed the earth, and fossils of creatures that existed at the time of the dinosaurs. Time and pressure can do crazy things. I learned a lot while photographing these objects and I’ve retained a fair amount to this day. It makes for good bar trivia.
My favorite objects were the bones and fossils. From ancient alligator skulls to the jaws of long-extinct cave bears, I loved them all. We had isopods carefully carved out of matrix, meteorite fragments by the hundreds, and quartz wands the size of tee-ball bats. Brightly colored tourmaline, shimmering pyrite cubes, and amber-hued coprolite—each piece was one of a kind.
For the website everything needed to match aesthetically—whether it was a delicate garnet ring or a taxidermized baboon with pheasant wings. So we shot them at extreme contrast on stark black. So goth.
Across the hall in the old mortuary was Paxton Gate Kids, a store featuring old-fashioned toys and gifts for your hipster child. I often found myself by the puppets, slacking off with the employees—or as I like to call it, working diligently. They had a great selection of wooden toys, including tiny drum sets that I, as a drummer, could not resist. It was here I learned how to yo-yo.
I spent exactly two years to the day at Paxton Gate before moving on. The Giants won two World Series while I was working at Paxton Gate. It was a magical place to work during a magical time to be in San Francisco. These are some of the product photos are from that time.
